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THE    ORIGIN    OF    THE    AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


"IN     1859,    AS    THE    CORRESPONDING    SECRETARY    OF    THE    REPUBLICAN     STATE 

Central  Committee,  I  traveled  over  the  State  of  Illinois,  carrying  out 

PLANS  FOR  A  MORE  THOROUGH  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY,  PRE- 
PARATORY TO  THE  GREAT  CONTEST  OF  1SC0.  I  VISITED  A  LARGE  MAJORITY  OF 
THE  COUNTIES,  AND  NEARLY  EVERYWHERE  HAD  THE  SATISFACTION  OF  LEARNING 
THAT,  THOUGH  MANY  DOUBTED  THE  POSSIBILITY  OF  NOMINATING  LINCOLN, 
MOST  GENERALLY  IT  WAS  APPROVED  OF.  THIS  FACT  BECAME  IN  TIM.E  VERY 
APPARENT  TO  LINCOLN  HIMSELF,  WHOM  I  NOT  INFREQUENTLY  MET  IN  MY 
TRAVELS;  AND  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  DECEMBER  OF  THAT  YEAR,  FEELING  THAT 
PERHAPS  IT  WOULD  'PAY,'  I  INDUCED  HIM  TO  PLACE  IN  MY  HANDS  THIS 
EMINENTLY    CHARACTERISTIC     PAPER." JESSE    W.     FELL. 


<^//y.<t.^>g.-/>7»7<  -ft^-.  flJla^-. 


LINCOLN'S^27^ 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


REPRODUCED  FROM  THE 

ORIGINAL  MANUSCRIPT 

IN  FAC  SIMILE 


NEW  YORK 

CURRENT    LITERATURE    PUBLISHING  CO. 

41-45  West   25TH  St. 
1907 


1 


I  WAS  born  Feb.  12,  1809,  in  Hardin  County,  Kentucky.  My  parents  were  both  born  in 
Virginia,  of  undistinguished  families — second  families,  perhaps  I  should  say.  My  mother, 
who  died  in  my  tenth  year,  was  of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Hanks,  some  of  whom  now 
reside  in  Adams,  and  others  in  Macon  Counties,  Illinois.  My  paternal  grand  father,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  emigrated  from  Rockingham  County,  Virginia,  to  Kentucky,  about  1781  or  2,  when, 
a  year  or  two  later,  he  was  killed  by  indians,  not  in  battle,  but  by  stealth,  when  he  was  labor- 
ing to  open  a  farm  in  the  forest.  His  ancestors,  who  were  quakers,  went  to  Virginia  from 
Berks  County,  Pennsylvania.  An  effort  to  identify  them  with  the  New  England  family  of  the 
same  name  ended  in  nothing  more  definite  than  a  similarity  of  Christian  names  in  both  families, 
such  as  Enoch,  Levi,  Mordecai,  Solomon,  Abraham,  and  the  like. 

My  father,  at  the  death  of  his  father,  was  but  six  years  of  age;  and  he  grew  up,  literally 
without  education.  He  removed  from  Kentucky  to  what  is  now  Spencer  County,  Indiana,  in 
^J^Jjfc eighth  year.  We  reached  our  new  home  about  the  time  the  State  came  into  the  Union. 
It  was  a  wild  region,  with  many  bears  and  other  wild  animals  still  in  the  woods.  *  There  I 
grew  up.  There  were  some  schools,  so  called;  but  no  qualification  was  ever  required  of  a 
teacher  beyond  "readin,  writin  and  cipher  in"  to  the  Rule  of  Three.  If  a  straggler,  supposed 
to  understand  latin,  happened  to  sojourn  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  wizzard. 
There  was  absolutely  nothing  to  excite  ambition  for  education.  Of  course  when  I  came  of  age 
I  did  not  know  much.  Still  somehow,  I  could  read,  write  and  cipher  to  the  Rule  of  Three,  but 
that  was  all.  I  have  not  been  to  school  since.  The  little  advance  I  now  have  upon  this  store 
of  education,  I  have  picked  up  from  time  to  time  under  the  pressure  of  necessity. 

I  was  raised  to  farm  work,  which  I  continued  till  I  was  twenty-two.  At  twenty-one  I 
came  to  Illinois,  and  passed  the  first  year  in  Mason  County.  Then  I  got  to  New  Salem  (at 
that  time  in  Sangamon,  now  in  Menard  County),  where  I  remained  a  year  as  a  sort  of  clerk  in 
a  store.      Then  came  the  Black  Hawk  war;   and  I  was  elected  a  Captain  of  Volunteers — a  sue- 


— 


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cess    which   gave' me    more    pleasure    than    any  1 'have   had  since.      I  went  the  campaign,  was 

slated,  ran  for  the  Legislature  the  same  year  (1832)  and  was  beaten — the  only  time  I  ever  have 
been  beaten  by  the  people.  The  next  and  three  succeeding  biennial  elections  1  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature.  I  was  not  a  candidate  afterwards.  During  this  Legislative  period  I  had  studied 
law,  and  removed  to  Springfield  to  practice  it.  In  1  846  I  was  once  elected  to  the  lower  House 
ot  Congress.  Was  not  a  candidate  for  re-election.  From  1849  to  1854,  both  inclusive, 
practiced  law  more  assiduously  than  ever  before.  Always  a  whig  in  politics,  and  generally  on 
the  whig  electoral  tickets,  making  active  canvasses.  I  was  losing  interest  in  politics,  when  the 
repeal  ot  the  Missouri  Compromise  aroused  me  again.  What  I  have  done  since  then  is  pretty 
well  known. 

If  any  personal  description  of  me  is  thought  desirable,  it  may  be  said,  I  am  in  height,  six 
feet,  four   inches,  nearly;    lean   in    flesh,  weighing,    on    an    average,    one    hundred   and   eighty 
pounds;  dark  complexion,  with  coarse  black  hair,  and  grey  eyes.      No  other  marks 
recollecaS^f  Yours  very  truly, 

A.   LINCOLN 
Hon.  J.  W.  Fell. 


Washington,  D.  C,  March  20,  1872. 

We  the  undersigned  hereby    certify  that  the  foregoing  statement  is  in  the  handwriting  of 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

David  Davis, 
Lyman  Trumbull, 
Charles  Sumner. 


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THE    CABIN     IN    WHICH     ABRAHAM     LINCOLN    WAS    BORN 


Copyright,  1907,  by  Current  Literature  Pub. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

BUST  BY   GELERT,    MODELED   FROM   THE   LIFE    MASK  BY  VOLK 


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CURRENT    LITERATURE 


A  BRILLIANT  monthly  review  of  world-events.  It  has  been  brought 
by  its  new  editor,  Edward  J.  Wheeler,  to  the  forefront  as  a  magazine 
of  timeliness  that  appeals  to  men  and  women  who  wish  to  know*the  best 
that  is  said  and  done  in  all  fields  of  human  activity.  "  Its  editorial  review 
of  current  events,"  says  Dr.  R.  Heber  Newton,  "is  the  best  I  know." 
Appleton  Morgan,  president  of  the  New  York  Shakespeare  Society,  calls 
it  "the  most  valuable  monthly  periodical  printed  in  an  English  speaking 
country."  Its  pages  are  brimful  of  information  and  discussion  on  Politics, 
Science,  Religion,  Literature,  Art,  Music  and  the  Drama,  and  the  people 
who  keep  the  world  turning  around.  It  is  the  magazine  that  keeps  you 
educated. 

It  compels  reading  by  the  tremendous  interest  of  its  subjects  and 
their  cosmic  sweep.  It  gives  the  best  from  all  periodicals  and  keeps  one 
abreast  of  the  culture  of  the  age  in  all  lines  of  thought  and  achievement. 
It  comes  pretty  near  to  being  the  ideal  magazine  for  every  home,  of  in- 
terest to  every  member  of  the  family,  being  a  luxurious  necessity  and  a 
necessary  luxury. 


A  GREAT  CENTENNIAL  OFFER 


THE  nation  will  soon  celebrate  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.      Anticipating  this  event,  we  have  prepared  the  first  popular  edition  ever  issued 
of  the  Life  and  Works  of  Abraham  Lincoln.      It  is  practically  a  complete  edition,  con- 
taining a  new  life  of  Lincoln  by  a  life  long,   personal  and  professional  friend,    Mr.  Henry  C. 
Whitney,  who  wrote  "Life  on  the  Circuit  with  Lincoln." 

It  contains  all  of  Lincoln's  early  speeches  from  1832  to  1858,  including  the  Lost  Speech 
of  1856,  delivered  with  such  eloquence  that  reporters  forgot  to  take  notes.  It  contains  all  of 
the  famous  Lincoln-Douglas  debates  with  contemporary  accounts.  It  contains  Lincoln's  great 
political  speeches  as  a  national  leader,  and  his  famous  presidential  addresses.  All  of  Lincoln's 
important  state  papers  and  letters  are  given  in  full  and  are  so  edited  and  arranged  that  they  are 
practically  self-indexing. 

Vol.      I.  Life  by  Whitney.  Vol.     V.      Presidential  Speeches. 

Vol.    II.  Early  Speeches.  Vol.  VI.      State  Papers. 

Vol.  III.  Douglas  Debates  I.  Vols.  VII  and  VIII.      Letters. 

Vol.  IV.  Douglas  Debates  II.  Vol.  IX.      Letters  and  Anecdotes. 

This  magnificent  set  of  books,  handsomely  bound,  is  given  away  with  a  year's  subscrip- 
tion to  CURRENT  LITERATURE.  The  books  are  sent  for  inspection  before  you  pay  a 
cent.      Full  particulars  sent  upon  request. 

CURRENT  LITERATURE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

41   WEST  25th  STREET,   NEW  YORK  CITY 


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